Back to gallery
Korean Landscape Collection: West Gate of Suwon

Art Appreciation

This ukiyo-e woodblock print captures a distinguished historic gate, crafted with meticulous detail and an intimate sense of place. The structure itself rises proudly atop a robust stone foundation, its upward-curving tiled roofs, dark and textured, sharply contrasting against a serene sky splotched with soft clouds. The sturdy stonework, rendered with warm earthy tones and subtle shading, communicates a strong sense of permanence and protection. The greenery around the base softens the scene, adding life and freshness to an otherwise stoic architectural subject. The composition balances mass and openness effortlessly, inviting the viewer to imagine the quiet strength and historical legacy embedded within this gate. The color palette is restrained yet vibrant, harmonizing blues, greens, and rich browns that emphasize calm and groundedness. Emotionally, there is a profound stillness here—an invitation to reflect on cultural endurance and the serene beauty of a place once bustling with stories now resting in tranquil dignity. This work, created during 1940, arrives at a time when Japan and its empire viewed local heritage sites with renewed artistic devotion, blending traditional Japanese print techniques with local Korean scenery, representing a cross-cultural historical document as well as an aesthetic joy.

Korean Landscape Collection: West Gate of Suwon

Hasui Kawase

Category:

Created:

1940

Likes:

0

Dimensions:

3928 × 2644 px

Download:

Related artworks

Travel Notes II: Beach Hut (Echū Himi) 1921
Moon over the Ara River, Akabane
Kumamoto Castle Miyukibashi Bridge
Karigasaka Mountain Pass 1927
Moonlit Night (Oizumi Pond)
Lake Toya, Hokkaido 1933
Autumn in a Farmhouse
Rain at Shinobazu Pond
Yoshida's Clear Sky After Snowfall 1944
Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Nara, Kansai Series
Tamagawadani, Hakkōda
Corridor of Miyajima
Tagonoura Bridge 1930